New Sleeper Bus 'Cabin' Is the Most Luxurious Way to Get Across California

Los Angeles and San Francisco attract tourists from around the globe for their sheer forces of culture alone. But traveling between them is just far enough—about six hours driving, if you dodge traffic—that you'll probably consider flying before you'd ever hop in a car or on a bus. (And airports, as always, bring all sorts of anxieties.) But a new luxury bus line is looking to take the stress out of traveling in California—to the point that you'll sleep through the entire trip.

Cabin, formerly called Sleep Bus, runs only one route: Los Angeles to San Francisco, and vice versa. Each bus leaves at 11 p.m. and arrives at its destination at 7 a.m. But while the thought of being wedged into a bus chair overnight sounds generally awful, Cabin's product isn't your standard bus seat. Instead, the luxury bus line offers only sleeping cabins (hence the name) that feature a comfortable bed and linens, a personal outlet, reading lamp, and complimentary ear plugs to ease you asleep. Each cabin is designed with a privacy shade, blackout drapes, and soundproof walls, so you'll be as closed off from the world as you care to be.

The company's co-founder and President, Gaetano Crupi, told TechCrunch that Cabin is up-front about not being the cheapest way of getting around—about $230, round trip. It differentiates itself as "America's first moving hotel" by aspiring to feel "like the Ritz Carlton" on wheels.

As such, the bus features a 24-hour attendant, free water, coffee, and tea, and there's a social area to sit in, just in case you're not ready to doze off. You can also check two pieces of luggage in the bus's storage and bring one carry-on aboard. And if you're worried about not being able to fall asleep in a foreign bed, well, the bus line even offers a natural sleep aid in melatonin-laced water, according to SPCR.

Currently, Cabin has only three buses—one for each direction, and a backup—and it ran its maiden voyages this past weekend. But starting September 1, the buses will run nightly in both directions, and the company is already exploring what other routes would make sense—like Portland and Las Vegas—but the real end game revolves around self-driving cars, with the idea that one day, the buses will be like autonomous, railless trains.

For now, Cabin is taking it slow, focusing on the logistics and in-bus experience. But its potential has already garnered $3.3 million in investment.

“I’m really excited about the fact that if you use the highway system and don’t need tracks, we can build this premium, almost European travel experience in the United States with very limited infrastructure,” Gaetano told TechCrunch.